Finding Niches with Keyword Research
December 11, 2007
Affiliate Underdog recently wrote this post about finding keywords that I found to be helpful. While I use a similar system for myself, it is always good to be reminded that the best markets to compete in are the ones with least amount of competition.
We all know that mortgages and dating offers can mean big money for affiliate marketers, but these niches can be tough to compete in if you want to produce at a high level. It is much easier to spend an hour doing some keyword research to find the subtle mini-niches that might allow you to rank highly in immediately.
Even if you do not have a website with enough authority to rank in any mildly competitive market, you can still use your research to enhance other methods like article marketing. The key is to use every authority outlet you have access to…squidoo, myspace, hub pages, whatever. Use these techniques to setup mini-sites for your offers and link them back to your own website. This way you will inherit the traffic that comes with ranking well and you will also get a quality link back to your low authority site.
Bottom Line: If you are a small player (like me), you are better off find the best mini-niches, as opposed to trying to swim the sharks.
Revenue Report for November
December 2, 2007
I took a couple steps in the wrong direction in November. Some of it was due to extenuating circumstances leading to a drop in sales, but another contributing factor was an increase in costs.
$1258.87 in Sales
- 321.70 in Expenses
= $937.17 in Net Revenue
$937 / 30 Days in November = $31.23 Average Profit Per Day
Here are the factors that led to a drop in sales…
- A high paying affiliate offer I promoted was cancelled.
- One of my affiliates increased their cost to the consumer leading to lower conversions.
- One of my domain names/websites was closed down due to a copyright infringement (more on this some other day).
- Traffic across my network of sites was down about 20%.
Here are some of the things that caused a spike in expenses…
- I paid $114 advanced annual payment for another hosting account. I’m expanding!
- I paid $60 advanced quarterly payment for a PO Box.
- I purchased a $39 wordpress plugin that allows me to easily add eBay listings to my blogs.
Obviously I am disappointed with the bottom line, but I have used this month to invest significantly into new projects. Hopefully they will begin to produce some revenue in December and get me back on the right track.
When an Affiliate Program Doesn’t Convert
November 17, 2007
I have spent a substantial amount of time building up a particular site of mine in the past two months. I was drawn to the niche because even though the core subject is relatively competitive, there was not a lot of affiliate competition in the market. The highest search results are filled mostly with reference websites and people who wrote their own books.
When I first started I wrote a couple of articles promoting the site and then I decided to let it simmer until it generated some sales. Fortunately, I made my first sales right out of the box, which lead me to invest more time and effort into the project. It is interesting because I did not have a lot of confidence in the product, but through the Clickbank marketplace I could tell that it was generating some ok sales for other affiliates. Once I made a few sales of my own, I started to get excited that I had found a winner – low competition and a $40 payout per sale.
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I’m a Bad Santa
November 11, 2007
Because I am so thankful for my internet marketing success, I told myself a couple weeks ago that I would donate one my Clickbank checks to charity before the end of the year. I make most of my money through Clickbank so this really started off with the best of intentions.
Well now I am halfway through this current earnings period and my sales stink. So guess which check is going to charity? That’s right – this one! Now before I get criticized for my grinch-like ways, I want to remind everyone that I have a kid to feed and I am far from a rich man. I try to put all of my internet earnings into savings for my family’s future needs. It’s not like I drive a Lexus to work everyday.
So I am making this post in hopes that the internet gods are listening. If you want the folks at ModestNeeds.org to better help those who need it, then start sending some buyers my way!
In an effort to save myself from a karma meltdown I am going to make my pledge for next year right now. In 2008 I will donate the equivalent of my BEST month in Clickbank earnings (2 checks worth) to charity.
See – I’m not really a grinch after all 
Creativity and Internet Marketing
November 11, 2007
I love reading the different webmaster and affiliate marketing forums. Not only can you get some great insights, but you can also learn from the mistakes of others. The most common scenario I see from people who struggle making money is their constant obsession with what everyone else is doing. They want to know step by step how to make a million dollar website. While I wouldn’t mind reading a book that details just that, I am also realistic enough to recognize there is an element to this industry where you have to rely on your own intuition.
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